Released: December 5th 2017
Genre: Non-fiction, politics, analysis, global affairs
Number of Pages: 193
One of the latest books from the father of modern linguistics examines the world today; a collection of reflections and considerations of global society.
Noam Chomsky converses with his long-term chronicler David Barsamian as he comments on various contemporary issues in the United States and beyond. Each conversation is presented chronologically, showing the authors reactions to events as they occur from June 2013 to June 2017. Politics, foreign policy, societal activism, technology and democracy are all up for debate as the author juggles countless actors, individuals and countries. In amongst these discussions, two central issues lie at the centre; climate change and the rising threat of nuclear war. The author issues constructive and considerably engaging warnings that home in on the direction humanity is going. It’s a deeply critical and well-researched perspective, something that’s hard not to be drawn into. In a way, Global Discontents is an archive of knowledge to be shared with readers across continents.
At points, Chomsky also reveals his own experiences, from growing up in 1930s America to his journeys to countries around the world. Due to his reputation, he has often been invited to rub shoulders with world leaders on occasion. These moments are fleeting, and it would have been interesting to go behind the thinking and take further glimpses into Chomsky’s childhood and teenage years. It would have given the reader a stronger, more personal understanding of him. Outside of this though, each of the twelve chapters are well structured and endlessly fascinating; Chomsky seamlessly articulates global affairs in a very understandable manner. He never diverts on too many tangents and carefully relays any background context to the subject being discussed.
Recommended?
YES: With a singular collection of opinions coming from one person, readers should expect something direct and may agree or disagree with what Chomsky has to say. The glimpses into the man’s personal life are only given passing mention and you should expect a collection of personal accounts rather than a full-blown biography. With that said, America’s most well-known modern thinker still offers a rich and varied collection of insights that will offer a new nugget of knowledge to anyone who reads it.
Even at ninety years old, Noam Chomsky continues to be a guiding voice of reason, creating programs such as “Requiem for the American Dream” and other books such as “Who Rules the The World”. When someone has as much experience as he does, thousands are sure to stop and take notice. I highly recommend you do the same.
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